OUA Men's Soccer Roundup Aug 25-27
Aug 27
Guelph 2, Western 2
LONDON – If the opening weekend of OUA play is an indication, the Guelph Gryphons men's soccer team will be hard to keep down. Guelph's third-year midfielder Atchu Siva was credited with a goal to grab an important point in a 2-2 draw with Western at Mustang Field Sunday night.
Siva got the last Guelph on a Western own-goal in the 77th minute after the Mustangs had gone ahead just 10 minutes earlier. It was the second time this weekend that the Gryphons scored late to steal points away from road opponents. Guelph scored three straight goals, including Jace Kotsopoulos's hat-trick winner, in a 4-3 road victory at Windsor Friday night.
"This was another difficult road game," said coach Keith Mason. "The guys showed their great character to come from behind and get a well-deserved point.
"We've had a tough weekend with lots of travelling and came away with four points."
The dynamic Kotsopoulos found the scoresheet again Sunday, his fourth goal in two matches. His opening strike in the sixth minute gave Guelph a dream start to the match. But Western would storm back. Reza Nafar produced the equalizer in the 23rd minute before Christian DeVia would add another for the Mustangs in the 67th minute.
But Guelph ended Western's hopes of a win with the late goal that Siva touched before going off the head of a Mustangs players and in behind goalkeeper Kody Thompson. Kotsopoulos almost got the Gryphons the full three points but his shot in the final minutes of regular time rang off the crossbar.
Guelph plays its third of four road matches to open the season this Wednesday at York. Match time is 8:15 pm.
Source: gryphonsathletics.com
UOIT 1, Queen's 0
OSHAWA, Ont. – Fabio Campoli's penalty kick goal in the 58th minute was all the scoring at Vaso's Field on Sunday afternoon as the UOIT men's soccer team beat the Queen's Gaels 1-0 in their 2017 home opener.
Odds were stacked against the Ridgebacks coming into the game having played in Ottawa less than 24 hours before while Queen's was fresh with Sunday's game being their first of the season. However, the Ridgebacks showed no signs of fatigue as they ran with the Gaels for 90 minutes while leaving the pitch with three big points.
"I was extremely proud," said assistant coach Steve Ormonde, who is filling in for head coach Peyvand Mossavat who is representing Canada at the 29th Summer Universiade in Taipei. "Nothing changed today from yesterday other than a couple of mistakes. Both games the team did really well in knowing their defensive role. No one let each other down and luckily we were able to get the PK."
After a scoreless first that saw Queen's outshoot UOIT 7-5, Campoli (Frosinone, Italy) was fouled to start the second half in the box by goalkeeper Alex Jones as the ref awarded him a penalty kick. The veteran would make no mistake as he powered the shot in the bottom left corner, giving UOIT their first goal and lead of the year.
Queen's would have chances to level the score including hitting the post in the 75th minute, but goalkeeper Nicolas Miller (Oshawa, Ont.) managed to shut the door for his first clean sheet of the year. Shots on target finished 7-5 in favour of UOIT.
UOIT (1-1-0) will be back in action next weekend with two home matches as they take on Trent (0-1-0) on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 3:15 p.m. followed by a 1 p.m. match against Toronto (2-0-0) on Sunday, Sept. 3.
Source:uoitridgeblacks.com
Ryerson 4, Nippising 0
The Ryerson Rams men's soccer team continued its winning ways, defeating the Nipissing Lakers 4-0 to sweep a pair of opening weekend games. After dominating the first half with a three-goal showing, the Rams kept up the intensity to hold the Lakers at bay and close out their homestand on a winning streak.
Ryerson wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as midfielder Marko Miketic scored 10 minutes in to give Ryerson the early lead. Five minutes later, Miketic would feed a perfect setup pass to Ahmed Zabian who put it away for a 2-0 lead. While Nipissing goalkeeper made a key dive to keep the deficit at two, Andrew Dias would come back soon after in the 27th minute to score off of his own rebound.
The Lakers would pick up their offensive pressure in the second half, giving Ryerson a chance to flex their defensive muscles. With Nipissing making all four of their shots in the second half, Ryerson goalkeeper Ali Ghanzanfari would only have to turn away one shot on goal to complete a perfect weekend. Ryerson closed the game in the 90th minute as Matthew Isabella put the game to 4-0 with an assist from Miketic.
Despite the strong lead after the first half, Ryerson Head Coach Filip Prostran maintains that the Rams had to keep up the fight throughout.
"Nipissing is a team that can sneak up on you," Prostran explains. "They fight right to the end so no game is lost, no game is out of reach. We've learned that on both ends over the years. We wanted to put some people in some places to get some more answers, but by no means did we think the game was done."
While Miketic - making his return to the Rams lineup after taking the previous season off - was involved in two of the four goals for two goals and two assists on opening weekend, he maintains that the new Rams squad is all about the team.
"The guys really welcomed me back and it's just a selfless approach this year," Miketic says. "I just really like that it's all for the team. It doesn't really matter who scores, what matters is who wins."
Source: ryersonrams.ca
Toronto 3, Laurentian 0
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's soccer team dominated possession en route to a 3-0 win over the visiting Laurentian Voyageurs Sunday afternoon (Aug. 27) at Varsity Stadium.
With the win, the Blue and White improve to 2-0 early in the 2017 season.After a slow start to the game with both teams feeling the other out, Toronto began to step up its game controlling possession for a majority of the remaining minutes.
This control resulted in a corner opportunity in the 37th minute which fifth-year striker Nirun Sivananthan converted for the opening goal of the contest. Sivananthan showed outstanding composure as he controlled the corner with his chest before depositing the ball into the net for his first goal of the season.
The pressure from Toronto continued in the second half with third-year striker Jack Wadden being the beneficiary of a bouncing ball in front of the Voyageurs net, converting the loose ball with a strong strike to put U of T ahead 2-0 in the 58th minute.Second-year defenceman Nikola Stakic rounded out the Blues scoring knocking in his second penalty kick in as many days in the 85th minute.
Veteran Blues goalkeeper Mark Rogal was not tested too often but came away with four saves and the clean sheet. Voyageurs goalkeeper Connor Vande Weghe made nine saves on 12 shots on goal by U of T.
Toronto will next hit the road as they get set to challenge the Carleton Ravens (Sept 1) and UOIT Ridgebacks (Sept. 3) over the Labour Day weekend. Kick off in Ottawa is set for 3:15 p.m. with action in Oshawa starting at 1 p.m.
Source: varsityblues.ca
McMaster 1, Laurier 0
Low on chances and drama, Sunday's match tilted in McMaster's favour in the second half, and the Marauders promptly snuffed any chance their second win of the season had to get away.
Matt Monteiro's 56th-minute goal was the difference, as the Marauders edged the Laurier Golden Hawks 1-0 at Ron Joyce Stadium to improve to 2-0 on the young season. Sunday marked Mac's second clean sheet in as many days, with Jesse DiDomenico saving both shots he faced in the win.
Working for an early marker, winger Sasha Ricciuti nearly created an opener when his cross narrowly missed the on-rushing Anand Sergeant in the seventh minute. Three minutes later, it was the combination of Yordan Stoyanov and Dusan Kovacevic threatening the Laurier goal, with Stoyanov squaring the ball to Kovacevic, whose shot flashed just wide of the far post.
It was the visitors' turn to create danger in the 17th, as Nikola Miokovic was played through on goal, but couldn't tap his shot past DiDomenico. Chances were few and far between as the first half wore on, and the two teams headed to their dressing rooms at the break without a goal on the board.
It was the home side who started brighter in the second, and the Marauders very nearly broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute, when Carlo Difeo played Stoyanov into space with a well-weighed through ball and his teammate's chip glanced the crossbar. Three minutes later, McMaster found paydirt, with Monteiro grabbing his second goal in as many days, after Kovacevic took down a long ball and squared to him, leaving acres of space and an open net for Monteiro to side-foot into.
DiDomenico had to be alert in the 71st, as Gurjinder Garcha stepped into a rising drive that forced the McMaster keeper into a diving parry to his left, which he turned around the post for a corner. Garcha was the point man once again when a glorious chance for a Laurier equalizer went begging in the 76th minute, wriggling free of his marker with the long ball bouncing to him, before woefully blazing his shot high and wide of the target.
NEXT UP: McMaster travels to London on Saturday, September 2 for a showdown with the Western Mustangs, before returning home on September 3 to battle the Windsor Lancers at Ron Joyce Stadium.
Source: mauraders.ca
Brock 1, Waterloo 0
The Brock University men's and women's soccer teams took on the Waterloo Warriors at home Sunday afternoon. The Brock women recorded their second draw of the season while the men improved to 2-0.In the men's contest, the game was heated right off the start as both teams battled for possession.
The lone goal of the contest came in the 27th minute as Liam Wilson answered with a penalty kick after being taken down inside the 18 yard box. He would drill the shot into the bottom left hand corner past Waterloo goalkeeper Damian Kruschat. Brock starter Matthew Haggith recorded the shutout after turning aside all three shots he faced. Kruschat collected five saves in the loss.
Source: gobadgers.ca
Carleton 11, Trent 0
Rookie Stefan Karajovanovic (Gatineau, QC) had himself a game, scoring four goals and lifting the Carleton men's soccer team to a 11-0 win over Trent at MNP Park Sunday afternoon.
The first-year forward's four-goal game is the first in three years for Carleton, since Marco Pozzi's on October 15, 2014 against RMC. "He's always shown flashes of it in camp and it was great to see him execute on a day like today," said head Coach Kwesi Loney. The Ravens offence was unforgiving and maintained possession throughout the game while their defence was sturdy and impenetrable, leading them to their second shutout in as many days.
After creating an unsuccessful chance by deking multiple defenders just a few minutes earlier, Gabriel Bitar (Ottawa, ON) opened the scoring as he beautifully buried his free kick from just outside the box into the net in the 10th minute. Carleton's monstrous first half was only getting started from there. Within a span of three minutes, the men extended their lead to 4-0 and never looked back.
In the 15th minute, Karajovanovic took the ball down the right side into the box and fired it past the goalie. The 2-0 lead was extremely short lived as Bitar's shot was a little too far left and hit the post. The rebound ricocheted right to Karajovanovic who, again, widened Carleton's lead with a clean shot past an outstretched goalie.
Relentlessly pushing past the Excalibur defence, Carleton immediately took possession and carried the ball down field. It was Dario Conte's (Ottawa, ON) turn to get in on the goal-scoring extravaganza and laced his shot from the right side of the box past the helpless goaltender.
Soon after, the Ravens added to their total in the 34th and 45th minutes with goals from Bitar and Karajovanovic, both of whom had already scored .Trent ended the first half having had very little possession and few shots on net, all of which were saved by goalie David Monk (Oakville, ON).
The second was no different. Trent just couldn't get anything past the Ravens' consistent defence, let alone get the ball away from their offence. Emad Houache (Ottawa, ON) wasted no time getting in on the action, accepting a pass form Karajovanovic inside the box and volleying it past Trent's new keeper in the 49th minute.
Karajovanovic got back to his goal-scoring ways, securing his 4th of the afternoon in the 56th minute. Seven minutes later, Walker Smith (Ottawa, ON) added the team's ninth goal of the afternoon. Carleton continued dominating possession and exerting pressure on Trent's defenders, adding two more goals by Jeremy Aweya (Kanata, ON) and Weber Bourjoully(Ottawa, ON) in the last 10 minutes of play to complete the 11-0 win.
"Once you get the first shot, confidence builds and positive things happen, which is good to see," said Loney. "Now they know that, so hopefully we can take that through the next couple games." The Ravens' high-scoring victory comes just a year after their 9-1 win over the same Excalibur last season. They'll look to keep on rolling and improve to 3-0 on the season Friday against Toronto.
Source: goravens.ca
Aug 26
Toronto 2, Nippissing 1
Opening the 2017 season Saturday afternoon (Aug. 26) against the visiting Nipissing Lakers, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's soccer team outlasted their opponents in a hard-fought 2-1 season opening win at Varsity Stadium.
From kickoff, both teams brought late season physicality to the match with the Blues opening the scoring in the 40th minute. Third-year striker Jae Jin Lee picked up his first goal as a Varsity Blue as he sent a hard shot on net which deflected off a Lakers defender before it found the back of the net.
The score remained in favour of the Varsity Blues for much of the action as both teams went back-and-forth on the pitch battling to find another marker. The Lakers would break through in the 81st minute when Andy Bago sent a shot on net from a tough angle. The ball would find its way through a group in front of Varsity Blues veteran goalkeeper Mark Rogal who was unable to find the ball before it found the mesh.
The Varsity Blues were quick to respond however with the offence crowding the Lakers net to earn a penalty kick from the physical play inside the goalkeepers box. Second-year defender and 2016 OUA East first team all-star Nikola Stakic made easy work of the penalty kick to take back a one goal lead and secure the 2-1 victory. Rogal finished the afternoon with two saves, while Lakers keeper Achuthan Shanmugaratnam made four.
Source: varsityblues.ca
McMaaster 6, Waterloo 0
Their all-star midfielder may have been on international duty in Taiwan, but the Marauders were not lacking in quality on Saturday, as they opened their OUA season.
McMaster poured six goals past the Waterloo Warriors, and rookie goalkeeper Tristan Joyce kept the first clean sheet of his Marauders career in a 6-0 rout at Ron Joyce Stadium. The hosts boasted six different goal scorers in the win, with Antonio Sereno, Yordan Stojanov, Carlo Difeo, Dusan Kovacevic, Nikola Brtan and Matt Monteiro each finding the back of the net.
Veteran winger Sasha Ricciuti had a pair of assists in his 45 minutes of action in the first half. Starting well, the Marauders were rewarded with the early goal, as Ricciuti's pass deflected to Sereno in the box, who was clinical in dispatching the chance in the 12th minute.
Eager for an equalizer, the Warriors pushed back immediately, and nearly had their opener when a deep cross to the far post fell to a Waterloo foot. Marauders goalkeeper Tristan Joyce got down well to deny the first shot, and bounced up in time to bat away a second and erase the danger. Instead, it was the Marauders who doubled their advantage just five minutes later.
Alex Matsubara's long ball found Stojanov, who controlled well and calmly slotted the ball inside the far post for 2-0. The misery continued for Waterloo in the opening half, as McMaster showed no signs of letting up on the offensive end.
Riccuiti was the architect once again, as his cross was picked out by Carlo Difeo, who touched past the goalkeeper for Mac's third goal of the half in the 33rd minute. The one-way traffic of the first half continued into the second, as Nikola Brtan added to the lead just minutes after the reset with his first career goal as a Marauder, making it 5-0 in the __ minute.
Without urgency to attack and salvage something from the match, the Warriors were punished yet again in the 59th, when Monteiro got on the end of a cross with his back to goal, and chipped a high header past the goalkeeper for 6-0. McMaster was largely content to stand on the ball from there, and Waterloo had few chances to grab a consolation marker.
Their best came in the 87th minute, when Nik Paradis saw a well-struck free kick at the edge of the McMaster box parried aside by Joyce.
Source: mauraders.ca
Carleton 2, UOIT 1
OTTAWA, ON — The Ravens men's soccer team's rookies took centre stage as the team claimed victory in their 2017 home opener against UOIT at MNP Park on Saturday afternoon.
Carleton got both its goals from first years, en route to their 2-0 win. The Ridgebacks earned the first real chance of the afternoon on a free kick in the 9th minute. Ravens' keeper, and newcomer to the team, Nick Jeffs (Ottawa, ON) blocked the powerful shot with his fists.
Carleton immediately returned the favour with back-to-back chances on net that were saved and deflected by a defender. From that point forward, the Ravens dominated first-half possession and rarely let UOIT past midfield. Carleton followed once again with a valiant effort by forward Gabriel Bitar (Ottawa, ON). The first-year player deked multiple defenders before being fouled. The free kick taken by Dario Conte (Ottawa, ON) was on target in the upper-left corner but caught by the goalie.
Carleton got its break as first-year midfielder Ricky Comba (Ottawa, ON) took a bold shot from near the halfway point that ricocheted from a defender past the goalie for a surprising first goal of the match in the 32nd minute, giving the Ravens a 1-0 lead. The Ridgebacks applied some pressure for next five minutes that was persistently nullified by strong, clutch Ravens defence. After a yellow card to captain Tristan St. Pierre (Ottawa, ON), Carleton seemed to revert the momentum back in their favour.
Just as play was winding down, the men went on a beautiful passing run started by a lobbed ball from midfield to Bitar, who cleverly passed to Diego Politis (Ottawa, ON), who returned it back. Bitar then tapped it over to Emad Houache (Ottawa, ON), who buried it in the net, giving Carleton a 2-0 lead in the 45th minute.
The Ravens picked up the second half right where they left off. Bitar had a chance near the net as he pulled off another one of his dekes that were prevalent throughout the match, but the shot was saved. Much like the first half, Carleton rarely lost possession and when they did, the defence stepped up to shut down the attack.
UOIT couldn't seem to get anything going as Carleton maintained pressure with many passes up toward the box that led to many more attempts that, unfortunately, never blossomed into goals.
In the 59th minute, UOIT midfielder Mateo Marques fell to the pitch following a foul from a Ravens defender. Unimpressed with his apparent embellishment on the play, the 'Kick It To Bronson Crew' voiced their anger towards the Ridgebacks player. Marques quickly climbed to his feet, gestured to the crowd and promptly received a red card from the head official.
The Ravens continued to press even harder throughout the remainder of the game creating far more encouraging chances than they had been the rest of the game, but eventually ended the half without an additional goal. With half their roster being first years, the 2-0 win was a decent first-game result, said head Coach Kwesi Loney.
"We have the theory in terms of how we want to play, were just not executing in the ways we want to be, at the pace we need to be playing at and the intensity level," he said, noting the plenty of missed chances. "But at the end of the day, you take the three points and we go from there." They will look to push their winning streak to two with another win Sunday against Trent.
Source: goravens.ca
Ryerson 3, Laurentian 0
A strong showing in the second half helped the Ryerson Rams men's soccer team claim victory over the Laurentian Voyageurs, as they took the season opener by a score of 3-0.
A scoreless first half left the Rams frustrated. Ryerson missed out on several good chances, including a free kick late in the first, and the physical rivalry between the two schools began to build.
Coach Filip Prostran was not impressed with the team's showing in the first half. "This team is different from last year," said Prostran. "We're not going beat teams five or six nothing. We've got to stay true to who we are; we've got to play our style and our brand. That's hard working and blue collar. Not this pretty Barcelona style. We're not that team."
An offensively weak first half created a push for the team in the second, as Kyle Stewart, Abdallah El-Chanti and Marko Miketic each tallied a goal for the Rams later in the game. The Rams defense remained strong through out the match, and their impenetrable back end helped lead them to victory.
In a tough and physical match, Captain Kyle Stewart was a calming presence on the field for the team.
"I like these mind games - I like to edge the other players on. I'm always in control for the most part. Once I got that first goal, I was like, 'it doesn't matter what they say to me, right now we have the three points and that's all I'm focusing on," said Stewart.
York 2, Windsor 0
The York University Lions men's soccer team dominated from start to finish in a 2-0 victory over the Windsor Lancers on Saturday night in Windsor, Ont.
The result was close on the scoreboard but that was thanks in large part to Windsor goalkeeper Greg Chac standing on his head for 90 minutes. He faced 17 shots on goal and made 15 saves, while Lions goalie Mike Argyrides had a quiet night in net as the Lancers did not record a shot on goal.
After a frustrating first half in which they could not score despite firing eight shots on goal, the Lions finally broke the deadlock in the 55th minute when Milan Beader scored his first of the season. Less than one minute later he was at it again to make it 2-0, and despite continuous pressure for the rest of the half, the Lions could not find the back of the net again.
However, York's staunch defence meant it didn't matter and the Lions will return home with three points and a 1-1-0 record.
Midfielder Dylan Carreiro had a tremendous game despite not scoring, recording a game-high nine shots, including six that were saved by Chac.
The Lions will look to continue their strong play when they return home for their opener at Alumni Field on Wednesday night against the Guelph Gryphons. The contest promises to be a thriller as it matches up the two finalists from last year's OUA championships, and it will begin at 8:15pm.
Souce:yorkulions.ca
Aug 25
Western 1, York 0
Reza Nafar's second-half goal led the Western Mustangs to a 1-0 win over the York University Lions on Friday evening in the regular season opener for both teams at Mustangs Field.
Friday's win marked the team's first win over the Lions since a 1-0 victory on September 8, 2010. It was also York's first loss in the regular season since the 2015 campaign.
The Lions controlled a majority of the play in the first half, outshooting the Mustangs 5-2. Their best chance to score in the opening half came in the 34th minute, with Dylan Carreiro sending the ball towards the top corner off of a free kick from just outside the box. However, Mustangs goalkeeper Kody Thomson turned it aside with an impressive save.
After York held the advantage in the first half things were more even in the second. Nafar's goal came in the 62nd minute; after taking a pass from Wilson he blasted a shot past York goalkeeper Andrew D'Souza to put the Mustangs on the board.
Despite both teams having solid scoring chances during the remainder of the half, Nafar's goal would prove to be the only one of the game and Western walked away with a victory to start the season.
D'Souza finished with three saves in the loss, while Thompson made four saves to earn the cleansheet.
Source: yorkulions.ca
Guelph 4, Windsor 3
WINDSOR - The Guelph Gryphons men's soccer team started their OUA title defence in dramatic fashion. Striker Jace Kotsopoulos netted a hat trick, including a late game-winner, to earn the Gryphons a wild 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Windsor Lancers at Alumni Field Friday night.
Kotsopoulos, a third-year forward from Burlington, is one of the premier finishers in U SPORTS. He led the OUA with 17 goals in Guelph's championship season, finishing second overall in the nation. The confident striker didn't take long to get going this year. His first goal gave the Gryphons a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute, before adding both the tying effort in the 65th minute, and the dramatic winner eight minutes later, erasing a 3-1 Windsor lead.
"It's great to start with three points," said relieved Guelph coach Keith Mason, who appreciated the inspired play of Kotsopoulos and the team. "It's always a tough place to play here and we showed great character down 3-1."
Kotsopoulos opened the scoring in the 11th minute when he drilled home a picture-perfect low cross from Youssef Zaghloul. But the bright start was forgotten when the Lancers took full advantage of some Guelph lapses in its own end. Jamar Redhead equalized for Windsor later in the half, before Kyle Ruggabar put the hosts ahead in the 42nd minute.
Mason was unhappy with the defensive effort and switched his team to a 3-5-2 formation in the second half. But Ruggabar would score his second of the match in the 48th minute, putting Windsor in position to win the match. "The defending was disappointing," said Mason. "They only had two shots in the first half and both went in. It would have been easy for us to have our heads down but we showed great determination."
The Gryphons, much like they did throughout 2016, refused to quit. The comeback began in in the 53rdminute when veteran midfielder Joshua Seguin, a Masters student in engineering, got into the area and deposited a rebound off a save from goalkeeper Greg Chac.
Then Kotsopoulos took over. After Seguin was fouled while in alone on a breakaway, which earned Chac a yellow card, Kotsopoulos stepped up to the penalty spot and coolly sent the keeper in the wrong direction with a clinical finish. On the winner, Zaghloul sent a through ball to Zachary Rushe, who cut it into the area and found Kotsopoulos there for the hat trick.
"Jace struck the ball beautifully," Mason said after a draining opening match. "We're happy with the points. We're off and running."
Source: gryphonsathletics
Badgers 2, Laurier 1
The Brock University men's and women's soccer teams opened the OUA regular season at home Friday afternoon on Alumni Field. The Brock men recorded a 2-1 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks while the women got two late goals to take a point in a 2-2 draw.
The Brock men took an early 1-0 lead in the 28th minute as rookie Alexander Makubuya (St. Catharines, ON) put a great cross into the far side of the box that was headed in by rookie Andrew Baldin (Niagara Falls, ON).
Laurier would even the game in the 68th minute as Antonio Hecimovic put it past Brock goalkeeper Matthew Haggith (Otterville, ON) to make it 1-1.
Brock would control the majority of the play in the final 22 minutes and would answer with eight minutes remaining. Makubuya would take a pass from Michael Pavela (St. Catharines, ON) up the middle and use his speed to beat the last Laurier defender and slide it past goalkeeper Rocco Strazzella for the game winner.
Haggith picked up the victory for the Badgers while Strazzella suffered the loss.
Source: gobadgers.ca
